WHEN I SAW HER

‘I’ve just bought a very expensive book,’ she said when I’d sat down.
She’d come in, seen me, nodded, then bought herself a coffee.
Now, opposite me, she held the book in her hands, opened it and turned a page.
‘What is it?’ I said.
‘It’s a very expensive book,’ she said. ‘I can’t believe I’ve just spent so much on a book.’
I’d seen her walk into the shop. I was reading the titles in the window killing a bit of time and learning some more about the local geography.
Now, we talked about work and research, that someone could do it, neither of us being particularly interested.